Chapter 3. Analytical review of national investment strategies and agricultural policies in West Africa 97
marketing cooperatives and other expanding systems such as warrantage. These initiatives do not have
enough magnitude to influence the agricultural products market, particularly cereals.
Without supplementing or substituting policy instruments, these initiatives are experiences that current
policies should build on to ensure the improved productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector.
In short, this period has not significantly changed the overall status of the agricultural sector, a sector
that receives the lowest percentage of public investment. Instead, it marks a significant decline in
funding efforts, characterized by weaker public resources, little intervention of the private sector,
except in some downstream processing units and an insignificant input of foreign direct investment.
- Recent innovations in agricultural policies
Since 2010, West Africa has initiated defining major sectoral policies. At national level, countries
such as Senegal and Mali have gone beyond major strategies to pass agro-forestry-pastoral laws. At
regional level, two agricultural policies prevail: the Agricultural Policy in the West African Economic
and Monetary Union, the PAU, and the Agricultural Policy of the Economic Community of West
African States, ECOWAP. The latter one not only includes all of its members, but also takes into
account the PAU’s direction, objectives and areas of intervention.
In 2005, West Africa defined and adopted its agricultural policy, the Comprehensive African
Agricultural Development Program (ECOWAP/CAADP) to implement the agricultural component of
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The operationalization of this policy began in 2006 with the development of the first action plan,
followed by the formulation of national and regional investment programs. Regional investment
programs were designed around six components that combine ECOWAP’s three spheres^5 and CAADP’s
four pillars^6. According to the ECOWAS web-site, the six components are:
- The improvement of water management (irrigation, invasive aquatic plants, and capacity
building for organizations in the cross-border basins); - Improved management of other shared natural resources (transhumance, sustainable
management of forest resources, and fish resources); - Sustainable farms (integrated management of soil fertility, strengthened support services to
producers, and dissemination of improved technologies);
(^5) ECOWAP’s three major themes focus on: i) increasing the productivity and competitiveness of agriculture, mainly
family farms, ii) implementing an intra-Community trade regime based on a free trade zone, iii) adapting the external
trade regime based on the specific conditions of the agricultural sector.
(^6) CAAPD’s four pillars deal with: i) extending the area under sustainable land management and reliable water
control systems, ii) increase market access through improved rural infrastructure and other trade-related
interventions, iii) increasing food supply and reducing hunger across the Region by raising smallholder productivity
and improving response to food emergencies, and iv) improving agricultural research and systems in order to
disseminate appropriate new technologies.